Not A Day Goes By
by Rykaine
Summary: Okay, I fixed some of the grammatical errors and such. Not a whole lot I can say about it;bittersweet is a good description I think. [implied 1x2]


Not a Day Goes By

_**Got a picture of you I carry in my heart_

_Close my eyes to see it when the world gets dark_

_Got a memory of you I carry in my soul_

_I wrap it close around me when the nights get cold_

_If you asked me how I'm doing, I'd say just fine_

_But the truth is, baby, if you could read my mind**_

Heero walked quickly through the lower level of the parking garage, in a hurry to get to his car, but trying not to run.  He didn't want to look rushed.  Duo always knew when he was rushed, and he always got on him for it.  "Nothing's that important," he'd say.  "Take your time.  Enjoy what's going on around you.  It's not about what will happen two minutes from now.  It's about this very instant."  Heero shook his head and smiled, hearing the words in his head.  Perhaps he was right, but today—tonight—was too important.  He had to think about the two minutes that he hadn't yet reached because he was already thirty minutes late.  He'd planned this evening weeks in advance—same as every year.  He finished his appointments an hour ago, he hadn't allowed any new ones to be scheduled after 2:30, but somehow he was still running late.  Unlocking the door, he slid in behind the wheel.  He backed out of his space and sped forward.  He cleared the exit a minute later.

He turned down a small street that led nearer the center of the city.  His first of three stops was in this direction, farthest from his office, and he needed to get there before it closed.  While he was stopped at a light, he undid his tie and pulled it off, undoing the top button of his shirt as he did so.  Duo didn't like the tie anyway.  He said it made him look too severe.  Heero couldn't agree more.  The light turned green and he continued forward.  After going a few blocks more, he stopped in front of a jewelry store and walked in.  A bell jingled when he opened the door, and a young man standing behind the counter, showing various rings to a woman looked up.  He smiled broadly when he recognized his customer.

"Mr. Yuy!" he gestured for him to come behind the counter and turned back to the woman, "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Ma'am, I have to retrieve something for this gentleman."  He turned back to Heero, "If you'll follow me, sir, I have it back here."  He gave him a mischievous smile, "I didn't want any of the boys thinking it belonged on a shelf."  They walked through a door into a small office.  He stepped around the desk, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking one of the top drawers.  Ever so gently, he pulled out a small, blue velvet jewelry box and handed it to Heero.  "I was a bit concerned actually, because it was supposed to have arrived yesterday and didn't.  Thankfully, it was here early this morning."  He smiled softly and led the way back to the front of the store.  

"Thank you," Heero said quietly before he left.

The man nodded, "My pleasure.  I hope he likes it."  He winked and returned to helping the woman.  Heero nodded and walked out.

It wasn't until he was once again seated in the car that he opened the box and looked at the cross lying against the velvet inside.  A couple months back, he had noticed that the years had caused it to tarnish and lose its shine.  Three weeks ago he'd brought it here to have it cleaned and restored.  He knew Duo missed it, but he also knew how happy he'd be.  He closed his eyes and smiled; he could just picture the expression on his face.  Closing the lid, he set it carefully in the passenger seat and pulled away from the store.  He still had two more stops to make.

_**Not a day goes by that I don't think of you_

_After all this time you're still with me it's true_

_Somehow you remain locked so deep inside_

_Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by**_

His next stop was closer to where he had started, and he knew the shopkeeper was probably wondering where he was.  Normally he would have been there and gone by now.  His order was already placed and paid for; he just had to go in and pick it up.  He had done the same thing every year for the past twenty years.  The order never changed, except for the addition of one.  Whenever he called, the woman who owned the shop filled in the order before he got past his last name.  It never failed to impress him.  He found himself smiling once again.  He reached his destination twenty minutes later, parking in front of the flower shop three blocks from his building.  Before he could even get out of the car, a little girl, no older than six or seven, came dashing from inside the store with a large bouquet of roses filling her arms.

"Your late today, Mr. Hero!"  She flashed him a toothless smile and held the bouquet out over her head.

Heero smiled down at her, grabbing the roses from her outstretched arms and coming to kneel so that he was at eye level with her, "I know.  I'm sorry."  He grabbed one of her hands and gave it a small peck, "Do you suppose you could find it in you to forgive me?"

She giggled and beamed up at him before jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck.  He returned her hug with a gentle squeeze and pulled himself back up.  Digging a hand into his pocket, he pulled out several bills and handed them to the girl.  "Tell your grandmother I said thank you."

"You're very welcome, hun."  He turned to the smiling old woman and nodded in acknowledgement offering a small smile of his own.  "Say hello for me."  She took the girl's hand, refusing to take the money that came in the other, and walked back inside the shop.

Heero opened the passenger side door and carefully placed them in the seat, making sure none of them would be caught inside the door and crushed.  He walked back to his side and got in, studying the dark petals.  Black; they were such a deep burgundy they were almost black.  Twenty-three black roses for twenty-three years and in the center was a single white.  It was Heero's own personal touch.  A promise of one more to come.  A promise that hadn't been broken yet.  

_**I still wait for the phone in the middle of the night_

_Thinking you might call me if your dreams don't turn out right_

_And it still amazes me that I lie here in the dark_

_Wishing you were next to me, your head against my heart_

_If you asked me how I'm doing I'd say just fine_

_But the truth is, baby, if you could read my mind**_

The restaurant was Duo's favorite.  And Heero could never figure out why.  It was one of the most stuck up places he had ever been in.  The service took hours, a good majority of the waiters was rude, and the atmosphere was stifling.  Heero shook his head as he got out of the car and entered the front lobby.  He stilled remembered the first time they had come here.  It was a week after Duo had opened his business.  From the time of its launch to that day, he had rented out ten shuttles, amassed more than fifty clients, and had nearly a hundred more potentials.  He'd been ecstatic.  Nothing could keep the smile from his eyes, not even the snobbish _maître__ d' who had sniffed his nose at them and told them disdainfully that they "didn't serve their kind here."  Not that Heero could have blamed him.  _

They'd spent the day rebuilding an engine and they and their clothes were testament to that.  They had dirt, grease, and oil painted all over them, and they didn't smell much better.  Heero figured he would have turned himself away, too, but Duo had insisted on going as they were.  When the man tried to turn them away, Duo had laughed it off and refused to back down.  Somewhere along the way, he'd managed to charm the man into admitting them.  Heero, to say the least, had been impressed.  As had the _maître__ d' if their table was any indication; he'd given them the best one the place had to offer.  Heero figured the __maître__ d' was Duo's main reason for liking the place.  Something about the man had just appealed to him.  _

It was that same man who greeted him when he walked through the doors.  "Good evening, Mister Yuy," he smiled graciously and nodded his head in greeting.  "I have already rung to have your order brought up, so it should be here any moment."

Heero nodded his thanks, and stood back against a wall to wait.  They hardly ever ate here anymore.  Life had gotten to busy and time somewhat too short.  But always on this day they ordered their dinner from here.  It was another tradition.  Duo preferred to spend the night at home in a quiet celebration.  He never wanted to do anything that involved leaving the house, and he certainly never wanted to do anything that was what he considered too complicated.  Heero had never argued and, in fact, was in agreement with him.  Dinner, however, was one thing he never skimped on.  A special night deserved a grand meal, and Heero had never been able to come up with a better choice.  I may have been expensive and a bit extravagant, but it was Duo's favorite.  That was all that mattered.

"Pardon me, sir?"  Heero broke from his reverie and looked up at the waiter standing before him, "I believe this is yours?"  He held up a silver platter which contained a bottle of white wine—the finest the city could offer—and a covered tray which was slowly releasing steam into the air.  Heero nodded absently and took the tray, offering the young man a small tip.  He turned and nodded his acknowledgment to the _maître__ d' before leaving._

"I hope you have a good evening, sir.  Give my regards to Mister Maxwell."  Heero stepped out into the sidewalk once more and once again open the passenger side door of his car.  Making certain not to spill or disrupt any of the food, he set it on the floor.  He once again checked to make certain the roses wouldn't be crushed and shut the door.

_**Not a day goes by that I don't think of you_

_After all this time you're still with me it's true_

_Somehow you remain locked so deep inside_

_Baby, baby, oh baby not a day goes by**_

It took him another thirty minutes before he left the city, driving past bright green fields and forests of amber and gold—a true indication of the changing season.  The long drive was quiet.  Few people lived this far out, and those who did lived farther back from the road.  What little he could make out were the fields that had been cleared in preparation of the colder days, and the animals milling about on the grassy hills.  In a few more months this area would be covered in a blanket of white, but for right now the scene was breathtaking.  The countryside was beautiful this time of year, and Heero couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening.  

A few more minutes of driving, and he reached his destination, turning onto a small gravel drive at the entrance.  He continued his drive through several twists and turns before he stopped.  Opening his door he stood up and removed his sunglasses, taking in the lush green against the now blazing sky.  He really couldn't have asked for a more perfect night.  Tossing the glasses onto his seat, he shut it and walked around to the other side.  He first opened the glove compartment and carefully removed the two crystal goblets contained therein.  He then picked up the tray, once again making certain not the disturb the food.  Supporting these in one hand, he then reached back in a picked up the roses leaving the box where it lay.  Once he'd cleared the path of the door, he used his foot to shut it, and he very carefully stepped onto the grass, walking forward several paces.

It took him almost ten minutes because of his slow steps, but when at least he reached it, he carefully set down the tray.  Clutching the roses tightly, but carefully, in his hands he stepped closer to the headstone reflecting the golden light of the evening.  "Happy Anniversary, Duo.  I know I'm late, but I'm here now…"  He gently lay the bouquet down before it, spreading the blossoms out against the stone.  The white was a stark contrast against the black.  

He backed up, making certain not to trip over the other items and sat down.  Pulling the tray forward, he lifted the cover, letting the steam drift into the late evening air where it soon disappeared.  He then turned to the wine, popping the cork and filling both goblets.  He set one on the grass before, Duo's symbolic place, and the other on the tray.  He glanced back up at the stone and smiled as though he were recalling a past, similar event.  He picked up his fork, deciding it was best not to let the food sit any longer.  

He sat there for over two hours, speaking in gentle tones to the autumn air, and knowing all the while that Duo was listening.  Duo was always listening.  He talked of everything and nothing.  The company, the house, the neighbors—whatever he thought Duo would be interested in hearing about.  He told him about the crazy ideas some of his clients had, and how they tragically failed.  He talked about the other pilots, and how they were doing.  He said whatever came to his mind to say.  And sometimes he merely sat quietly, watching the stone as if looking for something.  After a few moments he would shake his head, smile sadly, and continue where he had left off.

_**Minutes turn to hours, and the hours to days_

_Seems it's been forever that I've felt this way**_

When at last he'd run out of things to say, he returned the cover to the tray and carried it along with the wine and goblets back to the car.  When he came back, he was carrying the box, and he once again approached the stone.  "I have a present for you…"  So saying, he opened it, and gently removed the cross from its bed of silk.  "I know how much it means to you, and I thought you might like to wear it again…"  He undid the clasp with steady hands and brought the ends around the figure perched on the stone.  The small statue stood tall and resolute, his face hidden within the confines of his hooded cloak, which swirled behind him in an unseen breeze.  In his hands, protruding from the confines of the billowing folds was the wooden staff, standing taller than the figure itself.  The end reaching higher into the air curved out in a wicked arch.  He smiled sadly.  

Their friends had questioned his sanity, and the neighbors had called him a cold-hearted bastard.  But the others had understood—**Duo understood.  Duo had only believed in one god.  It had only seemed fitting that he be the one standing over him now.  Death watches Death.  "Good night, Duo…"  He placed a hand around the cross now hanging from the image of Death, enclosing it in his fist.  In his mind's eye he could see the exuberant expression on Duo's face, and that served to calm him.  Opening his eyes, he offered his first real smile of the night, and walked away.**

_**Not a day goes by that I don't think of you_

_After all this time you're still with me it's true_

_Somehow you remain locked so deep inside_

_Baby, baby, oh baby not a day goes by**_

____________________________

So that was definitely different from what I usually write, but I heard the song, and I just had to write it.  I hope it wasn't too horribly bad…

The song is called _Not a Day Goes By, by Lonestar.  It really is a beautiful song.  _

Let me know how horrible my first attempt at a songfic was—don't skimp on the criticism.

Rykaine


End file.
